(WWJ) She's a tough-talking judge who openly derided murderer Bob Bashara and supported disgraced former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
And now Judge Vonda Evans is moving on.
After WXYZ-TV tracked down her schedule, which seemed to involve lots of personal time and not a lot of time on the bench, Evans announced in a Facebook post that she's retiring. She appears to choke up for a second, and says, "I have been honored ... to serve ...I'm just at a loss for words. Thank you for believing in me ... for trusting me."
WXYZ reported she's leaving to avoid suspension, adding, "Evans was facing a suspension from the Judicial Tenure Commission, 7 Action News has learned, but decided to retire instead. Last April, 7 Action News aired a series of reports about Evans’ attendance on the bench, with undercover cameras frequently showing her coming in hours late, leaving hours early and—on some days—not showing up at all, all while submitting false attendance reports that claimed she was present."
On the bench, Evans was known for her unconventional courtroom style, where she sports a sometimes slinky wardrobe, once shouted at a defendant in apparent rage, and told murder defendant Bob Bashara in court “you lookin’ good today.”
She also has been known to like Kilpatrick's updates on social media where he claimed to be a victim who deserved to be out of jail.